Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to bariatric surgery and, more particularly, to devices and methods that facilitate performing sleeve gastrectomy procedures.
Background of Related Art
Obesity is reaching epidemic proportions in many regions of the world, particularly in the United States. In order to treat obesity, various surgical procedures have been developed including, for example, gastric bypass, adjustable gastric banding, and sleeve gastrectomy. The goal in each of these procedures is to reduce the patient's stomach capacity to restrict the amount of food that the patient can eat. The reduced stomach capacity, in turn, results in a feeling of fullness for the patient after ingesting a relatively smaller amount of food. Thus, the patient can achieve significant weight loss.
Sleeve gastrectomy involves transecting the stomach, e.g., using a stapling device or other suitable device, to reduce the patient's stomach volume. Sleeve gastectomy procedures are often aided by the use of a bougie, which serves as a guide or template for transecting the stomach to the appropriate configuration while inhibiting inadvertent transection of stomach or esophageal tissue. Once the stomach has been appropriately transected, the bougie is removed and a leak test is performed to determine whether there are any areas of extravasation.
There is a need for a device and/or method of positioning the stomach, or other hollow organ, to avoid shifting of the sides of the organ with respect to one another during transection, stapling etc., in a surgical procedure. There is a need for a simpler, more convenient way to perform a leak test, visualize the transected tissue, etc.